Brief:
There is a great source o' cheap HPR kits that's probably close t' your home. Ahoy! Avast! Where, you might ask? Toys R Us! I'm sure many o' you are shakin' your head thinkin' you never seen any rockets there, me hearties, let alone HPR. Ya scallywag! Look in t' younger kids' section. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! There are doubloon banks that look like big crayons. Blimey! That gives you almost everythin' you need t' build a high-power rocket for $6.99. Begad! You have t' nose cone and body tube–-and you don't even have t' paint it!

Construction:
T' whole crayon is about 33 inches tall, matey, and t' body tube is about 23 inches long. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Both t' top and bottom plastic pieces are removable. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! Keepin' t' bottom piece attached is up t' you. Well, blow me down! So, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, all you need are a parachute, matey, motor mount, and centerin' rings. Blimey! Blimey! T' difference with t' crayon banks is that t' tube doesn't match a standard CR size. Ya scallywag! T' inner diameter o' t' tube is 3.75 inches.

You can either purchase 4" rings and sand them down (much work) or find a place t' get custom rings made. Arrr! Blimey! But once you get t' rings, build your MMT normally, arrr, install an eye bolt for recovery, and install them in t' crayon. Begad! Blimey! 38mm motors work well with this project, matey, matey, although you can fit up t' a 75mm motor in t' tube.^** You will also need t' make a custom bulkhead t' install in t' nose cone.

If you use just one crayon, shiver me timbers, you'll have t' add some nose weight t' keep is stable. Avast! You can take measurements and run them through your favorite rocket design program t' see exactly what you need. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! One thin' t' remember when doin' t' simulations is that t' nose cone isn't exactly aerodynamic. It's flat on t' top(like a crayon). So it won't go as high as it would with a smoother NC. Aye aye! But these creations are usually for show and nay for performance.

You can also decide t' use two crayons t' build a longer or dual-deploy rocket. If you choose this, ya bilge rat, you'll need t' make your own coupler. Blimey! Recall that t' crayon tube is smaller than a standard 4" tube. Avast! T' Apogee Components website has an excellent tutorial on buildin' custom couplers.

When you brin' your new crayon t' t' launch field, me hearties, be prepared for a lot o' curious looks from spectators and other fliers. Aye aye! Enjoy!

^** - I haven't flown a 75mm motor on a crayon rocket yet, so I can't guarantee that it won't shred. But I have flown 38mm and 54mm rockets with no problem. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! These tubes aren't as robust as a LOC or PML tube would be, but since you can build a fun high power rocket for less than $25 (includin' CRs), it's still worthwhile.